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Astros waiting to finalize deal with top pick Aiken

Left-handed pitcher Brady Aiken talks about being selected as the number one overall pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft by the Astros

By Brian McTaggart and Mike Vernon
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MLB.com |

HOUSTON -- Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Wednesday he had nothing new to report on contract negotiations with No. 1 overall pick Brady Aiken, who arrived in Houston from San Diego on Monday with hopes of finalizing a deal.

Aiken, a 17-year-old left-handed pitcher, was taken by the Astros out of Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, making him only the third left-handed high school pitcher to be selected with the first overall pick.

"The signing deadline for this year's drafted players is July 18, so there's no rush," Luhnow said. "When talking about our first pick, our thinking is he's not going to pitch a lot of innings this year anyway, so there's really no rush to get anything done."

MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis reported earlier this month that the Astros and Aiken had agreed to a $6.5 million signing bonus, which would tie the record for the largest given to a high school pitcher. The Pirates gave Jameson Taillon a $6.5-million signing bonus after taking him with the second pick in 2010.

Aiken posted a 7-0 record and a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts in his senior season. He was a 2014 Perfect Game first team All-American and an All-Region first team in California. He led Team USA to the gold medal at the 18-and-under World Cup in Taiwan last September by winning both of his starts -- including a championship-game performance against Japan in which he struck out 10 and allowed one run over seven innings.

Brian McTaggart is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, Tag's Lines. Follow @brianmctaggart on Twitter. Mike Vernon is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.